THUNDER BAY – The Superior International Junior Hockey League standings are a lot like a 40-year-old beer drinker trying to fit into his old high-school football jersey – it’s a little tight in the middle.
The Thunder Bay North Stars on Friday took an opportunity to open up a little room in their bid to finish second, the Dryden Ice Dogs having long locked up top spot in the six-team circuit
The Stars stormed back from a 2-0, first-period deficit, scoring the final three goals of the night at Fort William Gardens to eke out a 3-2 win over the Fort Frances Lakers.
The victory gives the Stars (30-17-6) a four-point cushion over idle English River and five over Thief River Falls, who were drubbed by the front-running Dryden Ice Dogs on Friday night.
“Home ice is big,” said forward Brad Thrower, who potted the power-play winner 4:22 into the final period, beating Lakers goalie Jessie Heisz cleanly with a wrist shot from the left circle.
“In the playoffs, hopefully we can get some more fans out into the stands here. The energy means a lot to the guys when we score. They feed off the energy.”
The decisive goal, Thrower’s 18th of the campaign, proved that sometimes firing the puck on the net results in good things.
“(Ryan) Walsh gave me a good pass. We were on the power play and I had a lane. I took the shot, which I don’t do too often. But it was nice, it’s nice to get the winner,” said Thrower, earlier in the day nominated for the SIJHL's most improved and most sportsmanlike player awards.
North Stars coach Jeremy Adduono said it was a great rebound win after a disappointing 8-5 loss to the same Lakers a night earlier.
Every point is key at this stage.
“That was our whole message, starting yesterday, and we didn’t get the job done,” Adduono said. “We had to regroup and our only focus tonight was to get the two points. We didn’t really care how we go the result and how we got there, we just wanted to get it.
“I thought we played pretty well overall for 60 minutes, obviously behind for most of it. But we stuck with our game, believed in ourselves and full credit to our players. They got the job done.”
At least on the scoreboard, in the early going it looked like more out of the same from the Lakers, who raced out to a 3-0 lead on Thursday and led 2-0 by the 12:14 mark of the first in the rematch.
Jack Bernie scored both Fort Frances goals, the first coming just 19 seconds into the contest, surprising Nathaniel Dupuis in the North Stars net. His second came on the power play, seven seconds after Thrower was sent off for a trip.
Avery Siau cut the Lakers lead in half three minutes later, making a nifty deke move in close on Jessie Heisz, the last goal until Jonathan Masters tied the game 2:42 into the third, taking a couple of whacks at a bouncing puck in front of the Fort Frances net.
The two teams will lace them up again on Tuesday night in Fort Frances. The Stars wrap up regular season play next weekend at home against Thief River Falls and English River.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Fort Frances, Bernie 14 (Malpass) 0:19. 2. Fort Frances, Bernie 15 (Zajiceck) 12:14 pp. 3. Thunder Bay, Siau 4 (Minoletti) 15:19. Penalties: Tustin FF (slashing) 4:05, Sherman TB (high sticking) 6:23, Thrower TB (tripping) 12:07.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: No scoring. Penalties: Malpass FF (hooking) 15:03, Nigro TB (boarding) 15:45, Lynes FF (tripping) 17:31, Walsh TB (cross checking) 18:42.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 4. Thunder Bay, Masters 7 (unassisted) 2:42. 5. Thunder Bay, Thrower 18 (unassisted) 4:22 pp. Penalties: Gazich FF (tripping) 3:05, Sherman TB (high sticking) 16:30, Nigro TB (unsportsmanlike conduct) 19:56.
GAME DATA – SOG – Fort Frances 11-10-10-31, Thunder Bay 20-10-11-41; Power plays (goals-chances) – Fort Frances (1-6), Thunder Bay (1-4); Goaltenders – Fort Frances: Jessie Heisz, Thunder Bay: Nathaniel Dupuis; A: 320.
